You don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to stay safe online.

In this article

Simply following a few basic safety tips can minimize your risk of being hacked; having your identity stolen; or accidently exposing your children to adult content on the Web.

How? Take the time to understand the threats and how to respond to them. Realize that the Internet is a dangerous place with people you have never met who want your stuff, time, money, kids affection & ideas. There is lots of good stuff online, but we need to responsible, educated & wise in cyberspace as we are in the real world.

If I've heard it once, I've heard it a dozen times: "I don't really have anything important on my computer" - That's simply not true! It's like leaving the keys in your car ignition with the windows rolled down. The thief is likely to use your auto as a getaway car in a bank robbery.

Do you bank online? Your passwords can be stolen!

Do you send email to friends & family? Your addresses can be harvested for spam!

Do you have family photos? Your pictures can be posted online for strangers to view!

Almost any data can be exploited or sold, and even if you really have nothing but an empty PC connected to the Internet, it's important to the bad guys who can use it as a Botnet weapon of mass disruption (a zombie as it were) without your permission or knowledge. Your compromised machine can be used to attack innocent victims & the FBI will track the attack to your house, not the attacker’s.

In fact many of the problems with cyberthreats to families are not the result of a sophisticated hacker attack or advanced targeted viruses. They are the result of home users not taking the time to follow basic online safety rules that can protect their family.

What can you do?

1. Understand the 10 Immutable Laws of Security:

Law #1: If a bad guy can persuade you to run his program on your computer, it's not your computer anymore

Law #2: If a bad guy can alter the operating system on your computer, it's not your computer anymore

Law #3: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it's not your computer anymore

Law #4: If you allow a bad guy to upload programs to your website, it's not your website any more

Law #5: Weak passwords trump strong security

Law #6: A computer is only as secure as the administrator is trustworthy

Law #7: Encrypted data is only as secure as the decryption key

Law #8: An out of date virus scanner is only marginally better than no virus scanner at all

Law #9: Absolute anonymity isn't practical, in real life or on the Web